Samsung Gear VR Will Soon Have Xbox One Controller Compatibility

The first half of 2016 saw the release of the first consumer version of the Oculus Rift, a high-powered virtual reality headset that quite literally makes your eyes pop at all the gorgeous visuals. Unsurprisingly, though, the Oculus Rift also came with an equally eye-popping price tag that’s guaranteed to put a large dent in your savings. For people not too keen on going all-in on the virtual reality trend, there’s the cheaper Samsung Gear VR, which is also Oculus-powered. You can think of the Gear VR as the Oculus Rift’s mobile phone-centric little brother. Now, it’s about to get a much similar look to its big brother.

The Xbox official website recently posted that the Xbox One controller will soon be able to link with the Gear VR and that Minecraft: Gear VR Edition will be the guinea pig. The game will receive an update this coming October, which will allow it to be played with an Xbox One controller.

A very specific Xbox One controller is required, though

But not all Xbox One controllers will be capable of doing so. Only the new Bluetooth-equipped version that came with the recently released Xbox One S – a sleeker and slimmer version of the original Xbox One model – will be able to link with the Gear VR. So consider yourself lucky if you already own both a Gear VR and the new Xbox One S. (The Oculus Rift can also be controlled via the original Xbox One controller, in case it’s not clear to you yet.) If you’re thinking that buying an Xbox One S solely for this purpose is a waste of money, consider that the console also boasts a great library of games, like Far Cry 4 and Titanfall.

As you may know, the Samsung Gear VR, as its name hints, is only compatible with Samsung smartphones. Specifically, only the following models: Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy s6 edge+, Galaxy S6, and Galaxy S6 edge. Minecraft will hold a convention this weekend where you can get an up-close and personal look at the Xbox One controller-equipped Gear VR (you’ll have to get in line, of course).

If you’re a big fan of Minecraft and want to experience the game in a different way, by all means plan a trip to the event. Other titles like Herobound, Spirit Champion, and Omega Agent are also in line to get the same treatment, too. So if you’re not a Minecraft fan, then there’s that to look forward to.